On eight separate occasions Ibrox Stadium has hosted Portuguese sides and on each, Rangers have avoided defeat, indeed, only Sporting Lisbon have left the south of Glasgow and headed back to the Iberian peninsula with a draw.
Maritimo, FC Porto, Boavista and SC Braga have all been beaten on Edmiston Drive over the years and Rangers’ overall record against Portugal’s clubs stands at ten wins from 19 meetings.
Now, on the back of an epic 3-3 draw earlier this month, Jorge Jesus’ Eagles are in town aiming to be the first to win in Govan. Here, we look back at the eight previous Portuguese visits and the various successes of Rangers sides across the European Cup Winners’ Cup, the UEFA Cup, Champions League and last season’s Europa League.
1. won 3-2 vs Sporting Lisbon, 1971
Colin Stein scored twice and WIllie Henderson had Rangers well ahead after half an hour in the 3-2 second round home win en route to Cup Winners' Cup glory. Photo: SNS Group
2. won 2-1 vs FC Porto, 1983
Striker Sandy Clark fires the ball past goalkeeper Ze Beto for the opener in a 2-1 win again in the Cup Winners' Cup second round. Photo: SNS Group
3. won 2-1 vs Boavista, 1986
Guy Hubart and Adao da Silva combine to keep out Dave McPherson in the UEFA Cup second round first leg win. Photo: SNS Group
4. won 1-0 (4-2 pens) vs Maritimo, 2004
After a rare defeat against Portuguese opposition, Dado Prso levelled the aggregate scoreline and progressed into the UEFA Cup group stages on penalties with another home win. Photo: SNS Group Jeff Holmes